Magnifiers, what are your favorites?

[carterhaines-migration]

I am interested in buying a few good magnifiers for coins, but I do not know what types I should get. What do you think are the best magnifiers for various types of coin observation?

 

So far I have been recommended to get a Bausch and Lomb Hastings Triplet with 7x magnification for grading Mint State coins, and a similar Hastings Triplet with 14x magnification for cherrypicking, what do you think?

[Hoot]

The triplets you mention are both good. I have a 7x and 10x. I also have a Zeiss D36 that has 6x and 3x lenses that can be combined for 9x. I like the wide view of the Zeiss and the 7x Bausch and Lomb.

 

Hoot

[Wihlborg]

The Bausch and Lomb Hastings Triplet 7X and 10X are the ones I use, and I love them. They are very high quality optically. I use the 7X for grading and the 10X for cherrypicking or whenever I want to take a closer look at something on a coin.

 

John

 

[BankNote1]

I have the Bausch and Lomb 10X Coddington. But my favorite is a 5X lighted Eschenbach from Germany. The glass is big enough to look at a coin or note with both eyes. It also has a small white light in it, for looking at a coin out of the dealers case, in the bad light of the bourse floor!

[CameoCC]

ditto to all replies.

 

Todd

[DWLange]

In my experience, the Zeiss D36 is best . . . a large field of vision and no peripheral distortion at all.

[TomB]

You might also canabalize a lens from a microscope that is no longer in use. I did this with a Zeiss 10x and the optical quality is tremendous. I don't use it at shows for routine coin viewing, however, as I use one of those pocket Bausch and Lomb 5x pieces and it works great. One other thing to remember is that many people engage in what I consider "lens snobery" in that they think any lens is garbage if it isn't the best quality. This is not exactly true. I would venture that more money is lost in coins because of people who don't know what they are looking at based on a lack of knowledge than money lost by people who don't know what they are looking at based on poor optics.

[Hoot]

I would venture that more money is lost in coins because of people who don't know what they are looking at based on a lack of knowledge than money lost by people who don't know what they are looking at based on poor optics.

 

Nothing could be more true!

 

Hoot

[TomB]

Hoot, when I was writing that statement I was even thinking to myself that this should be blazoned across the coin boards!

[goose3]

I have a ziess 10x that I got from SeanJ! (thanks!)

a pair of Anco's 10x and 17x that I like also.

 

I'd sure like to get a lighted stereoscope some day.

[nwcs]

I use a 7x triplet by b&l. Basically the ANA special. It's great. After using a doublet for a long time, seeing coins through a triplet was like seeing the coin for the first time.

[Beijim]

I currently use a 10x Hastings triplet with 18mm diameter. I want to get a 5-6x as well, for grading assessments. The Zeiss D36 Mr. Lange recommends sounds like my new first choice.

 

Beijim